


Candy Cigarettes

by sonderesque



Category: Leakira, Voltron: Defenders of Tomorrow, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Cyberpunk, Fluff, M/M, Swearing, but yeah here i guess, this fandom isn't as widespread as it actually was in the beginning but i don't even care, uhhh i don't really know how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 05:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16654888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonderesque/pseuds/sonderesque
Summary: “Each mission could be our last."In which uncomfortable truths force Akira and Leandro apart, and bring them back together in the end.





	Candy Cigarettes

It was too quiet.

Well, Akira supposed, it wasn’t the city that was too quiet. The city was quite the opposite-- too loud, too busy, too many people. Cars crowded the streets, with bicycles and pedestrians slipping through the gaps in order to get past all the traffic. The calls from vendors, boisterous laughing, and karaoke music always managed to drift up from the streets. After living most of his life here, it had mostly faded into the background, merely white noise compared to everything else he needed to focus on. 

No. It wasn’t the city that was too quiet.

It was their apartment. 

It was Leandro.

 

Akira softly padded out of his makeshift office, tucking a pencil in the garter of his goggles and allowing it to rest on his ear. He took a quick peek around the corner and spotted Leandro out on the balcony. Automatically, Akira opened his mouth to call out to him, but stopped halfway after feeling the ache he had thought he had pushed away returning full force. Instead, he forced himself to keep walking towards the kitchen and started brewing the cup of coffee he originally left for. 

Without even realizing it, Akira lightly brushed his hand over the spot a robot sentry had nicked him on their last mission. Bandages covered it, but he still recalled what it looked like, a burn about three of his fingers wide on his forearm, It wasn’t a life threatening injury, and besides, it was a small price to pay in order to secure the shipment of food and supplies for the team. Just a normal workplace hazard, at least to Akira. 

Leandro, on the other hand, couldn’t stop blaming himself. 

No matter how many times Akira explained that it was his own fault for not keeping the sleeves of his jacket rolled down and that there were simply way too many robots for them to be able to take on with just brute force, he could still see despair and disappointment settle in Leandro’s eyes. When they got home that night, he couldn’t even look at Akira as he dressed the wound for him. Akira hated seeing tears in those beautiful cocoa brown and light blue eyes of his, but somehow, this was worse.  

It was suffocating, tiptoeing around each other like this. They had managed to pretend that everything was okay for a couple hours, too glad that they made it out alive for the umpteenth time, but eventually, Leandro had started to talk less and less-- until he didn’t say anything besides a good morning during breakfast and a whispered goodnight as he would drape a blanket on what he thought was a fast asleep Akira each night (even though Akira would never actually sleep without hearing his voice first.)

To prevent from going crazy without Leandro talking to him anymore, Akira had settled for throwing himself into drawing up new blueprints and designs for the shop and the resistance instead. Every waking hour was dedicated to making something, anything better. Everything but this situation. It would have been so much easier if Leandro blamed Akira. At least that way, he knew what he needed to do in order to make everything better. 

No, that’s not what he truly needed.

What Akira needed was for Leandro to forgive himself. 

A loud beep sounded from their kettle, startling Akira out of his reverie. Out on the balcony, Leandro didn’t even flinch. Dragging his feet slightly, he grabbed two cups from the kitchen cupboard. They were always a bit too high for him, which required him to sit on the counter. Leandro always said he had placed them up there to tease him, but a small gut feeling told Akira that it was simply that Leandro wanted to be relied upon. 

The urge to cry surged up. Akira sighed and lowered his goggles over his eyes. It was meager protection, barely even a layer to conceal his dark eyebags and bloodshot eyes, but it was enough to allow him to rein in his emotions once again. Mechanically, he began to put together Leandro’s tea. He had always been extremely particular about how much milk and sugar he wanted in it, and Akira knew better than to tamper with it. 

“Hey, Leo. Your tea is right here. Don’t let it get too cold,” Akira said, walking around the couch in the living room to access the door to the balcony. He set the tea down on a small table outside the sliding doors. “There’s some leftovers in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

He waited for a couple seconds, allowing himself to hope for a second that Leandro would turn around and draw him into his arms, but all he saw was a slight acknowledging tilt of his head. Nothing more, nothing less. Akira’s shoulders drooped, retreating inside before his growing headache got worse. A door shut moments later.

 

* * *

 

Leandro turned around, heading for the cup of tea. His strides were slow and hesitant. He had been standing out there for hours. It was cold and his legs were almost numb at this point, but the chill helped clear his head, helped allow him to temporarily forget. Most people said they needed alone time and quiet in order to focus, but to him, it was exactly that combination that was his biggest distraction. 

Being outside wasn’t enough though. His chaotic thoughts would consume him again once he stepped back inside to get a few hours of sleep before he put himself through the wringer again. Leandro couldn’t talk to Akira without feeling anguish, while Akira was too torn between giving Leandro the space he kept putting between them and being concerned for him. It was exhausting to say the least. 

A destructive routine had fallen place of talking about the problem. 

Akira worked on blueprints and at the garage, leaving Leandro free to go out constantly, picking up any solo missions Petra was willing to give him on behalf of the resistance. He swept through the city countless times in a day, refusing to give himself a spare moment to allow the fear to crawl back into his heart. 

Today, Petra finally snapped, telling him that he needed to go home, get some rest, and figure out whatever shit they were dealing with because it was clear that things would all fall apart if another incident happened again. And with the refusal to let him back until everything was sorted out hanging over his head, it wasn’t kind or gentle words he wanted to hear, but Leandro did appreciate the wake up call in its own way. 

But when it counted, no words came out-- and Leandro carried that silence with him. 

The steam from the tea warmed his bowed head, a gentle heat compared to the chill of the evening air. Leandro brought the edge of the mug of his mouth and blew on it gently. 

He really did want to say something, anything, to get over this canyon between them. It was his fault after all. Akira always tried to get him to talk, but it wasn’t something that could be overcome if only one person was making an effort. He could feel their relationship being stretched into fine threads. They could both feel it. There’s only so much strain they could both take before it became irreversible.

How the hell could he tell Akira it wasn’t the burn that made him back away (although he did feel guilty about that), but that he was fucking terrified he might see Akira die in front of him? Was it even possible to bring up? 

Taking a sip, he hissed at the scalding drink. His tongue had been burned and his lips stung a little bit. Leandro set the tea cup back down, too impatient and agitated to wait for it to cool down, opting to pace back towards his earlier spot. 

_ ‘Oh hey, I just wanted you to know that I can’t stand the thought that one day, I might see you killed in front of me during a dangerous mission and even though I was right by your side, I couldn’t fucking save you and now you’re bleeding out in front of me and I don’t know what the hell to do-- but you know what, it’s fine. It’s all fine.’ _

He gripped the balcony railing tightly.

That’s not how it fucking worked.

And Leandro couldn’t bring himself to be that honest.

It was a hard truth to realize, but it was an even harder truth to admit.

A dull ache pounded his head, slowly loosening his measured restraint on the restlessness in his heart. It bled out slowly, tainting his bloodstream until nervous energy pulsed under his skin. Leandro wanted to run until he collapsed. Instinctively, he furled his fingers from the icy metal, and reached into a hidden pocket within the lining of his jacket, brushing over a worn cardboard package. He flipped the top open, about to draw another stick, but remembered that there were no more left. There hadn’t been any since he finished the last one right before the last mission with Akira. 

“Out of all the fucking times…” he sighed aloud.

Leandro rested his arms on the balcony and wilted, laying his head down on them. Faintly, he recalled Akira‘s laughter as he protested over his supposed ‘addiction.’

 

_ “Oho, I didn’t know you smoked.”  _

_ Akira was lying obviously. He had seen Leandro with the pack lots of times, but it never stopped him from saying it regardless. Something about Leandro not seeming like that type of person, despite him explaining what they were on countless occasions. _

_ “They’re candy cigarettes,” Leandro said blandly. _

_ Slender fingers tapped his chin as Akira mused teasingly. “Those are super rare; factories don’t even make them anymore. That’s an expensive addiction you got there—“ _

_ “For the last time, it’s not a fucking addiction!” he whined, no true anger behind his words.  _

_ Leandro’s annoyed heterochromatic eyes met Akira’s amused ones, a cocky grin clashing with the tiny pout and wrinkle between his eyebrows. The corners of his mouth drew up even further until Akira burst into boyish laughter, smoothing away his usually serious and stoic expressions. Leandro shook his head in mock disappointment, but couldn’t stay mad at such a shining face. He had learned to take any scrap of joy he found and keep it close to his heart.  _

_ No matter what happened, Akira would always be close to his heart. _

_ “A habit then,” Akira amended, acquiescing to Leandro’s protests. “But that’s besides the point. You’re always looking for them. Every now and then, I catch you toying with that secret pocket of yours, which by the way, isn’t really a secret pocket if you make it so obvious.” _

_ “It’s sort of creepy that you watch me.” Leandro pointed out. _

_ “The government does it too.” He shrugged, tilting his head a little. “See, the difference between the government and I is that I’m your boyfriend, and you’ve only got one of those.” _

_ “Sure I only have one boyfriend, but how about my sugar daddies?” _

_ “I’d call you out on your bullshit, but I know you’re really just trying to sidetrack the conversation.” Akira shot him a knowing look.  _

_ “What gave it away?” Leandro smirked slightly, before it softened into a melancholic sort of nostalgia. “It’s not even that they’re my favourite really… it’s just that, my brother brought these home all the time. Said he always got courage from it. After he got caught and I had to pick up what he left behind, it was something I needed a lot of too.” _

_ Akira loosely wrapped his arms around Leandro’s waist, resting his head against his chest. “You’re amazing with it without it Leo. I know that one day, you’ll realize you’ve always had courage and bravery in your heart— a limitless supply of it.” _

_ He hadn’t responded back then, simply pressing a gentle kiss on his white hair, but if he had, he would have said something like this-- _

 

“Maybe one day…” Leandro said aloud, breaking free from his memories. “One day I will be that person.”

He stood up properly this time, stretching arms up towards the smoky, navy sky. His eyelids drooped, unable to muster the energy to open them more than halfway. Leandro shuffled towards the sliding door pulling it just far enough for him to slip in. His hip bumped into the corner of the table, making him wince at the sudden jolt of pain. Rubbing his hand on the hurt spot, he didn’t notice the worn, empty pack fall from its place in his jacket and onto the cold concrete of the balcony. He used the last vestiges of his energy to weakly close the door and haphazardly fall onto the couch.

A lingering thought stayed with him as he fell asleep.

Leandro really did need to talk to Akira soon. 

 

* * *

 

One did not live in such a run down metropolis and assume they would be woken up by anything other than the blaring noises of trucks making their rounds through the city. Sometimes Leandro would wake Akira up by peppering him with kisses instead, a reward of sorts on the rare days Leandro managed to convince to sleep in an actual bed. He wasn’t as lucky this time, Akira thought to himself drowsily as the cacophony of horns persisted, refusing to let sleep claim his body once again. 

Slowly, he sat up properly in his leather chair, rolling his neck side to side to loosen his sore muscles. Akira thanked his past self for making sure that the blueprints were pushed to the side. The risk of accidentally drooling on the pages was too great if he had fallen asleep straight on them. Checking holo watch on his wrist, he groaned, unable to stop from berating himself for staying up so late which resulted in him snoring away until 1 in the afternoon.

Blinking blankly, Akira frowned.

For the life of him, he couldn’t remember… why exactly  _ had _ he slept so late?

Shaking his head in confusion, Akira braced the armrests and stood up, heading out the door in a similar fashion he had yesterday. Maybe he would recall the reason as he fixed up some brunch for to satisfy his growling stomach. Akira absentmindedly opened and closed the doors to the fridge and cabinets that were within his reach before opening the pantry.

“Hey, Leo, what do you want for--” Akira stopped in the middle of the sentence, peeking his head out to look over at the empty living room across from the kitchen. 

Oh that’s right.

Leandro hadn’t said good night to him.

Akira bit his lip, ducking his head down embarrassedly. It’s not as if it was some sort of requirement he imposed on Leandro, of course not. Although they lived together, sometimes they would be off on missions or running errands that kept them out for most of the day, so he had picked up on the habit of holding any interaction they had together close to heart. Good night meant the end of the day, that they would always come home to each other.

(He didn’t want to think about a home without him.)

The notion of an actual breakfast was put on a backburner for now. Akira couldn’t feel comfortable without knowing that Leandro was, at the very least, safe. He started boiling a kettle of water and scarfed down a piece of pandesal just to quiet his hunger. With the only noises coming from the kitchen, the rest of the apartment seemed eerily quiet in comparison. 

Akira headed for the couch in their living room. Perhaps Leandro had left a note that he was headed out today when he left before Akira woke up. He shifted the pillows to the side and dug into the sides of the couch, coming up empty. This area of the apartment was cold, something he hadn’t noticed originally because of his sherpa lined jacket. 

He sighed a little, unused to the chill in the normally warm space. Leandro hadn’t pulled the glass door completely closed. Akira stretched his arm to try and pull it shut from his position, kneeling on the couch. His eyes drifted over to lone mug on the table outside. 

Bracing his hands against the top of the couch, he gracefully vaulted to the other side and pulled the door open. He stepped outside to pick up the still full cup of tea. The fact that Leandro didn’t even bother drinking it stung, but he pushed away the thought of it, calling himself irrational all the while. As Akira turned to go back inside, he kicked something to the side on accident. Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, he leaned down and caught something red lying on the floor, colourful against the grey concrete balcony. 

There, laying forgotten on the floor, was Leandro’s precious candy cigarette pack.

He picked it up, then headed inside, leaving the cup inside the sink. It was almost jarring seeing something so dear to Leandro just carelessly thrown off to the side, even if after inspection, the worn cardboard held none of the white sticks that should have been in there. He wasn’t the type of person to treasure something so deeply, only for it to not matter when it was gone. If anything, he’d be try to find more…

Akira was already speed dialing Petra before the idea even fully formed in his head.

“Go ahead caller, you’re on air,” they said, a teasing lilt in their voice.

He rolled his eyes, a small grin playing on his lips. “Good morning to you too Petra.”

“Well see, it’s actually the afternoon--”

“I just woke up, so it’s morning,” Akira pointed out.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works,” Petra muttered, barely audible over the phone, before quickly moving on. “Anyways, what’s up? Has Leo talked to you yet?”

This caught him off guard, throwing his racing thoughts off alignment. “What? Um, no. He hasn’t. I was just going to ask about him though. He’s not home right now and he didn’t leave his usual note, so I was wondering if he’s doing stuff for you right now.”

They hummed speculatively. “I told him to go home yesterday and not come back until he resolved stuff with you.”

“Didn’t know you were giving out love advice too.”

“Only on Tuesdays,” was Petra’s smooth response. “But for real, I haven’t seen him then. Any clues to where he might have gone?”

“Leo’s out of those cigarettes he likes. I think he went to go get more? It’s a long stretch but...” Akira trailed off uncertainly. 

“The ones that his brother had?”

“Mhm, those.”

“Then I don’t think it’s that far of a stretch. You’ve seen his true self in and out,” Petra said. Akira couldn’t tell if they were just trying to make him feel better or if it was just something they decided to say, but it put him a little more at ease. “If there’s anyone that knows where he went, I’m sure it’s you. I’ve sent you the addresses of the few stores that still sell them.”

“Alright thanks, I’ll head to the ones closest to me.”

“Hey Akira?”

“Yeah?”

“Watch each other’s backs. This city is dangerous in the daylight too, and well… you can’t have a heart-to-heart if one of them isn’t beating anymore,” they said bluntly, almost coming off heartlessly if he didn’t know they meant it in a concerned way. 

“Well shit Petra,” Akira responded dryly. Then, continuing with a more serious tone, he said, “I’ve got him. Don’t worry.”

 

* * *

 

When Leandro woke up this morning, being shot at was definitely not on his itinerary.

All he wanted to do was restock his candy cigarettes at a nearby store and maybe pass by Akira’s favourite bakery on the way home to bring him some apology croissants. He even wanted to have a genuine conversation about their feelings and shit like that. The plan was to mentally write his romantic speech on the way home, and maybe voice-to-text it too just in case he forgot.

Again:

Being shot at was not part of the fucking keikaku.

Robots were one thing, but when sentries just happened to be slacking off in an alley just as he happened to walk by, with the bonus of them immediately recognizing him as an insurgent, well, that was a recipe for disaster. A recipe he wished he knew how to fix, he thought to himself as he crouched behind several crates, waiting until a barrage of shots stopped before dashing out.

He was outnumbered, with the two that had originally spotted him, and an extra three that joined up as they chased him throughout the alleyways. With his extensive knowledge of the city’s layout, paired with his skill in freerunning and parkour, Leandro managed to stay a fair way ahead of them, but without any backup or plan and his only weapons, the dual pistols on his waist sitting with only half full cartridges, he knew that he couldn’t hold them off long if it came to an actual fight. 

Leandro turned the corner and jumped onto a dumpster, his breath was coming out in quick huffs and he could taste blood in the back of his throat. He could hear the sentries’ heavy footsteps rapidly approaching but he had to stop running for a second, caught in a decision between risking climbing a ladder to the roofs, potentially giving him less cover, or running into one of the busier districts, with the chance of even more sentries. His heart pounded like a countdown, reminding that he didn’t have the luxury of time to be mulling over his decision. 

“Hey! He’s here!”

A laser shot, one right where Leandro was standing just a second ago. It would have easily incapacitated him, leading to his dreaded arrest had he not jumped off and landed on the gravel covered ground with a roll mere seconds before. He made sure to not run in a straight line, knowing it would make him a harder target to hit, but with only adrenaline burning in his veins at this point, he knew he’d be running on fumes soon. 

Leandro needed to make it home.

He refused to be captured here. 

Gripping a pistol at his waist, Leandro locked his jaw grimly as he risked a whiplash quick glance over his shoulder and blindly shot in the vague direction he saw the sentries. Judging from a cry of pain that came from behind him, he had gotten lucky and hit one. While he wanted to feel relief, the harsh reality was that there were still four more to go.

He wasn’t safe just yet.

The alley opened to the busy streets, only mere meters away. With all the strength he could muster, Leandro ran even harder. Just a little more, then he stood a bit more of a chance. Several crates cluttered his exit, but they were spread out enough that using them should have been good to boost himself off of. 

Leandro fumbled to shove his pistol into its holster as he launched himself from one box to another. The last part of his desperate plan hinged on this one last thing. His thumb brushed against his phone in his jacket pocket. Five quick clicks on the power button. Akira would get his location. 

He turned back to see their guns raised again, shaky as they tried to keep pace with him. 

Five clicks is all he needed.

A sentry fired, missing two shots. One came painfully close to his shoulder, and he flinched in the opposite direction, forgetting he was on an unstable surface.

One. Two. Three. Four. Fi--

The crate shifted. Pain shot up his ankle and he crashed hard into the ground. 

“Nonononono,” he whispered, scrambling up as fast as he could, trying to ignore the black spots that crowded his vision, trying to ignore the agony searing with every step on his injury. Leandro felt the terrifying absence of one of the pistols at his waist, but the sentries were too damn close now.

Did he press it that one last time?

He couldn’t say.

Hissing, Leandro forced himself into a limping run, finally making it out of the alley. He integrated himself as much as he could with the crowded streets, ignoring their protests as he pushed people to the side. Another turn of his head showed him the sentries ordering people to make way. His cover began dispersing to the sides. 

As much as he hated knowing that this may very well be the end, he couldn’t blame them for not wanting to get shot. He was just collateral for their safety.

After putting a couple meters between him and the sentries, Leandro turned around to meet his fate. He cocked his remaining pistol towards them; he’d be damned if he went down without a fight though. 

“I’m sorry Akira,” Leandro apologized aloud, voice cracking on his name. 

The crowd, cowering in the stands.

The roads, a lone motorcycle roar nearby.

The guns, pointed towards him.

“Surrender! Or we will be forced to kill you right here!” One of the sentries shouted.

His finger rested against the trigger.

A whisper.

 

_ “I guess I’ll be leaving first.” _

 

* * *

 

The minute Akira ended the call with Petra, he was out the door.

It didn’t take more than five minutes for him to racing throughout the city, hitting the spots Petra sent to him starting from the ones that were closest to their apartment. Leandro didn’t like using the public transport, so Akira knew he wouldn't be too far, but with ten locations on the list and the undetermined amount of time Leandro had been out there, his fear started to grow larger with every passing location without any sign of him. 

Most civilians would think that it was safer in the day than it was in the night, especially with all the ‘criminal acts’ the rebellion was planning in the night, according to the propaganda at least, but for them, it was safer in the night. Robots patrolled during the night, and they were fairly easy to pick off. The only reason Akira even got hurt that mission was because the pharmacies they tried to steal from had more than they expected. 

Sentries patrolled during the day, and they were nothing like robots. Wire and numbers were nothing, as much as Petra would like to argue. Without the option of hacking into human beings, or destroying them, they were at a major disadvantage when it came to fighting them. They were not killers, but with terror pulsing through his veins, all Akira could realize was how this poison could drive people to murder. 

Could he hold back if Leandro’s dead body was in his arms?

He growled, speeding up on his motorcycle. Akira’s purple eyes narrowed onto the map overlay his helmet visor showed the road, trying to push away those thoughts. His heartbeat raced on, muscles tight with tension and knuckles gripping his handles so hard that he knew without looking that they were white. 

No, he needed to take a deep breath. This pessimistic thinking wouldn’t get anywhere.

Akira thought he trusted Leandro, but all he had been doing since he woken up was doubt him. 

Leandro was strong, clever, and brave. He could think on his feet, and knew better than to do anything stupid. His gentle hands were more suited for helping others than holding a gun, only there because of necessity, for his parching thirst for justice. His eyes picked up on tiny details, soft colours that refuse to betray the darkness that lurked in every single person, and his sharp tongue was a defense that suited his willowy frame. 

He was not a baby bird, or anything as fragile as Akira was making him out to be.  _ They _ were not fragile either. All he really needed to do was be there when Leandro reached for him. Akira would just have to wait until he was ready to cross this distance and talk to him. His heartbeat began to slow down, leaving him feeling incredibly foolish for all his desperation, for what little faith he had.

Maybe it was time to head home. Leandro knew how to contact him, and Akira knew without a doubt that he would be right there when he did--

The line overlay he was following through the streets suddenly turned red,  an address flashing in the same crimson in the corner of his visor. Akira choked on a breath, felt oxygen leave his lungs as he traced Leandro’s distress signal with his eyes, coming to a stop at the wall of traffic he knew there was no way of getting through. 

“Dammit!” he hissed, lilac eyes darting from gap to another, trying to ascertain the quickest path he could take to Leandro. Akira wanted to scream for everyone to move out of the way. Anxiety left him barely breathing, unable to stop it anymore than he could stop glancing over at the flashing numbers on his visor. This was not something to be taken lightly, with mere seconds making the biggest difference.

On paper, it was for when they needed assistance.

Unspoken, they all knew it meant life or death.

Akira maneuvered his motorcycle to the side, thinking quickly all the while. He couldn’t patiently wait for the traffic to ease up, and the sidewalks were clogged with people, but-- his hands jerked in the direction of the nearest alley, ignoring all the angry calls of people that had to dive out of the way. The red line adjusted, promising to get him there in 8 minutes. That wasn’t good enough. He sped up even more. 

Akira just hoped he would be in time. 

 

* * *

 

“I’ll shoot you,” Leandro said as calmly as he could, refusing to show the slight trembling of his hands or the regret weighing down on his shoulders. To be killed here before accomplishing anything, being without Akira by his side filled him with fear, but he would not show weakness.

He would not show how much he desperately he didn’t want to die.

The one he had his gun pointed at scoffed, laced with self assurance and annoyance, as if the action wasn’t worth their concern or time. It must have been confidence he had with the three others he had by his side, pointing their own weapons at Leandro. “You’ll be full of holes before that happens.”

It was not the gun that held power here, he knew, it was the power of words. 

“Well, what will you tell your boss when you tell him you’ve killed one of the higher ups you could have tortured for information?” A raised eyebrow, a slightly mocking smile that disguised a quivering lip, only dug the thought in. “He’ll think your life is nothing in comparison to the value of that knowledge, don’t you think?” he pretended to ponder. A small surge of relief shot through him as he saw questioning looks exchanged.

“This is just a bid for time!” they protested, trying to maintain their control over the situation.

“I’m just telling you the truth,” Leandro said.

“Rebels are filthy liars,” the sentry hissed, raising their own gun to point at him. “And we’d be better off without them.”

Resigned acceptance washed over.

Ah. So this was it for him. 

The signal must have not gone through, he supposed. Leandro closed his eyes and lowered his gun, an undeniable symbol of surrender. Maybe in another world, another universe the end wouldn’t be so tragic--

A motorcycle roar, followed by agonized screams pierced the air, instead of the lasers he was expecting. 

His eyes shot open. 

  
  


“Akira!”

 

* * *

 

He made it.

The fact that his entrance wasn’t as clean as he hoped didn’t matter. Well, sort of. He had eased off the acceleration slightly, to make it easier for him to pull Leandro and flee just as fast, but with the scattered crates all over the floor, there simply wasn’t enough time to stop properly.  

To say that was the only reason he jumped off, and in turn didn’t even watch as his motorcycle crashed into the nearest sentry (it’d be fine, his motorcycle was made out of materials that wouldn’t break with something like hitting a body,) was a lie though. He almost spared them a feeling of pity as they were thrown to the side, collapsing roughly against a makeshift vegetable stand, but he wasn’t there to give sympathy to the enemy. His eyes were focused on something almost completely different.

Leandro’s precious gun lay abandoned on the dirty alley floor, in a similar fashion as his cigarette pack. Akira quickly grabbed it, rubbing the dust away on his pants, then turned it to stun mode as he dashed forward the last remaining steps out of the alley. A silent thank you was sent up to the universe for giving him a weapon to protect his loved one with. Just like the gun, Akira would find his way back to Leandro.

He gave a quick glance to where the soldiers had been focusing on, and felt a surge of relief seeing Leandro standing there, albeit a bit confused about why it looked like his eyes were closed, and--

A sentry rushed at him. Without a second thought, he used their momentum to knock them off balance and fired off an electric shot. They screamed, before collapsing on the ground. The two others turned their attention from Leandro to him, shooting lasers. He slid towards them, swinging his armed hand up to stun successfully one. Akira arched a kick, firmly hitting the other sentry in the chest, knocking them off balance. He darted forward, taking advantage of their surprised and tasered them too. 

“Akira!” 

He turned his head, drawn to the sound of his name. Leandro stumbled several steps forward, gun drawn and pointed in his direction. Purple eyes widened, betrayal and confusion tearing him apart. What-- what was happening?!

"Leandro...?"

Akira had heard whispered like a secret when they were tangled in each other at two am, cut into pieces in between gasping laughter, said teasingly with light touches and soft smirks, saturated with happiness and triumph, sighed with satisfaction, choked with sadness… he had heard it all the manners he thought he ever would. Or thought he would.

This was the first time Leandro shouted it with such desperation and fear.

“Behind you!” he shouted, firing the second the words were out of his mouth. 

The laser passed mere centimetres away from his arm and hit the sentry he had run over earlier in the arm. Akira whipped his head around in time to see a gun pointed in his direction fall out of their hand and hit the sidewalk. A pained scream joined the terrified yells of the bystanders in the stands. People were beginning to shove each other as they tried to flee the scene, leaving Akira to stand awkwardly over collapsed bodies, with the scream finally cutting off as the sentry fainted. Leandro's stumble straightened into a jog as he dodged some people running away, coming to a halt right beside him.

“Fuck… Akira,” Leandro began to say, reaching out to clutch at the other's sleeve, crossing the remaining distance between them. He had returned his gun back to his holster, free hand now showing faint tremors if Akira looked close enough. "I'm sor--"

He shook his head, pulling away from Leandro. “Shut up. We need to get out of here first,” he said grimly. 

Akira righted his fallen motorcycle and got on, actively ignoring the sentries on the ground. He handed his helmet to Leandro, who took it from him without looking at him in the eye. A small sigh escaped his lips, already preparing himself for the resignation of the silent treatment yet again. The bike shifted as Leandro got on the back, toned arms wrapping around Akira's waist and his chest was warm against his back. He missed this comfort; it felt like warmth finally returned to his bones. 

“Hey. We need to talk,” Leandro said softly, barely audible over the roar of the engine.

For a second, nothing happened, with purr of the engine being the only noise between them. Then, Akira nodded simply, kicking off the ground and drove off without saying another word.

An unseen gentle smile graced his lips.

 

* * *

 

Twilight spilled across the sky, dripping into the faint yellow that touched the skyline. Skyscrapers and old buildings stood proudly as windows began to light up. Highways stretched and twisted in the spaces between them, teeming with people living their own lives, crossing paths with others only to separate once more. From a balcony far above the streets, two shadowy figures stood overlooking such a melancholic scene. They were less than a foot apart, but the distance felt as though it went on for miles, heavy with things left unsaid. 

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Akira said offhandedly, glancing over at Leandro, who was more focused on the new package in his hands than actually looking at the last few rays of the sunset. 

“They’re candy cigarettes,” he responded distractedly, lacking any true force behind his words. “Plus, I’m not going to. You can take a stick if you want.” Leandro stuck the package out to him, top open.

Akira considered declining the offer, but with one look at his trembling hand and then up into his apologetic, almost sorrowful eyes… there wasn’t much choice, he thought, as he reached out and elegantly pulled one out of the box. Leandro tucked it away as soon as he did. Akira raised it to his lips, acting as if it was a true cigarette.

A small smirk settled. “It tastes horrible.”

“You’re exaggerating,” he rolled his eyes in amusement.

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not,” Akira lilted, pulling the stick from his mouth and puffing out a breath, watching a white ‘smoke’ drift into the sky.

Silence stretched between them. A quiet unrest turned seconds into minutes into hours, and soon it became hard to tell how long it had actually been. Time began to cut into Leandro’s skin. Scars, bleeding tension, that told him with every slice to open up his mouth and say something-- anything.

“I thought I was going to die today.”

Akira once again looked over at Leandro, this time unable to tear his eyes away. Leandro shut his eyes tight and held onto the railing as if a single gust of wind could blow him into pieces, carrying the shards over distant lands and place never to be found. Words crowded the tip of his burnt tongue, and with an inhale that left his head aching slightly, they rolled off, refusing to be held back anymore.

“I was going to kill them… I think. Or maybe myself. I couldn’t let myself be taken in after all. Truthfully, I’m not really sure what I was going to do, but all I know is that if you hadn’t shown up, those lasers my guns were set to were going to land on someone’s body,” Leandro said, biting his lip anxiously. His eyes were open now, but he couldn’t bring himself to look back into Akira’s eyes, to see anything except for love and acceptance.  “Over some of these too. Isn’t that dumb? All because I can’t fucking bring myself to stop being a coward and tell you the truth. I need candy of all things to grow the hell up.”

“Leandro…” Akira trailed off, reaching out a comforting hand, only to lower it slowly when he saw him twist his body away slightly. He bit the candy in his mouth, a small snap before the words began again, as if he didn’t say anything at all. 

“And you know, they really did help. I was so ready to finally make up and have conversation with you, the one that I kept avoiding. It was going to be perfect. There were going to be croissants and everything!” he laughed brightly, sarcasm dripping from the words in his tirade. “But see… if I wait for things to happen, if I take too long and allow time to pass us by, sooner or later, I’m not going to have that chance ever again.”

“Words can be the heaviest weight you'll ever have to carry, and they’ll fall from your lips like rocks. You don’t need do, if you don’t want to,” Akira said, feeling his heart break watching Leandro struggle through his words.

“I need to do this. For us. For me." He knew, despite his fear of permanently fucking something up, this was something he needed to say. 

“Each mission could be our last,” Leandro voiced the truth they didn’t want to acknowledge. “I’m fucking terrified of watching you die in front of me Akira. That’s it. That’s why I iced you out, acted like a little bitch, and gave you a hard time. Because I’m an angsty little shit who can’t stand the thought of someone I love so fucking much be killed over me, over the fact that I couldn’t do enough to protect you, and I honestly, I would not be able to live with myself if I became the reason that you were gone. It scares me so much, you know, and it's going to drive me insane--”

He didn’t even notice Akira moving closer to him until he felt gentle hands turning him to the side, feeling soft lips press against his. A soothing warmth filled his heart, and he felt his heart mend itself in all the ways he couldn’t tell were broken. Being like glass suddenly felt okay, because he knew that if anyone looked through him, all they could see were the people he loved, those he always aspired to be and protect. He was content with being like glass if it meant that Akira would treat him with such care as this. 

Akira pulled away, pressing a featherlight kiss on his forehead. "Leandro, breathe. You're spiralling again."

"Oh, fuck, I'm sorry..." he choked out.

"No, it's fine. I just... I don't know. It breaks my heart that you blame yourself, and I can't say anything about that without being a hypocrite, but I couldn't give a shit honestly," Akira said. He didn’t move away or pull his hands from Leandro’s shoulders. "You're not alone Leandro. I get it. We all have that fear. We all have people we care about. It's just harder for us because we're always in the fray of battle." Understanding glowed in his eyes, leaving Leandro almost awestruck, if it weren’t for the one thing that kept haunting him.

"I got you hurt... it could be worse next time!" Leandro protested. 

He tried to back away from Akira and away from the warmth that he felt he couldn’t even deserve. Akira, despite being incredibly vertically challenged compared to Leandro, held onto him and pulled him closer towards the comfort that he needed. It wasn’t the same as the kiss, but with astonishing tenderness, he pressed them closer together, head on Leandro’s chest and hands resting on his back, rubbing comforting circles on his spine. Leandro shivered slightly before resting a hand on Akira’s upper back and running his free hand through white strands of hair.

“That was because I was being an idiot. And I know you're still going to be stubborn and overthink it, so here, listen to this. You saved my life today. You saved my life the moment you came into my world with your smile, blinding kindness, whiplash humor, and your stupid floppy hair that makes my heart race,” Akira said, slightly muffled. Leandro felt him move away slightly and looked down, only to see him smile up at him. “I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, but you deserve to hear it-- it’s not your fault. You cannot and should not be held accountable for someone else’s mistakes. You’ve done your best Leo. I know how hard you’ve tried."

Emotion swelled through him, a tsunami that crashed down without any warning. His boat was rocked, and Leandro could almost feel himself tip right over into the water, allowing it to consume him. He knew he would be safe there, safe there because it was Akira calling him over, calling him into the water and asking him to stay and look at the rays of light that broke through the dark blue.

"I... I--"

This time, it was Akira who could no longer hold back the things he kept fluttering in his chest.

"We've always made it through together. You've got my back, and I have yours. Each and every time, I know that I'll be alright because you're by my side. If anything, it's being without that makes me so damn anxious. You will never be the reason I die. Okay, well I lied, maybe you'll give me a heart attack or two, but that's really only because I love you that fucking much and sometimes it overwhelms me-- that's besides the point though.” Contrast to the bitter laugh Leandro had let out earlier, Akira’s laugh was bright and reminiscent of the sunlight that was far below the horizon at this point. 

He pulled away, feeling an ache at the loss of contact. But for his point to truly get across, Akira wanted Leandro to see him stand up alone, strong and brave for him. For them. A feeling of love surged through him when Leandro’s arms had remained up, surprise written on his face when Akira had stepped backwards. He lowered them back to his side slowly, almost as if he was hoping for Akira to return to his arms. It was obvious to Leandro though, that he needed to say something important as well, so he didn’t protest, simply waiting for his words and facing him head on.

Akira smiled and tilted his head to meet Leandro’s steady gaze. 

"Please. Trust me. Believe in me, and put faith in us. We're going to come out of this perfectly fine, and we'll be fucking champions. Watch, we could rule the world one day.”

Leandro stayed quiet for a minute, heterochromatic eyes dark and pondering. Akira could feel his heart race in his chest, wondering if he went too far, if that wasn’t what Leandro needed to hear, and that maybe this was all some extravagant simulation that the unknown forces of the universe--

"And you say I'm the king of romantic speeches,” he said softly, a teasing lilt at the end of his words. His eyes spoke of only affection and love, and Akira could feel oxygen rush back into his lungs.

"It wasn't romantic," Akira scowled, only for it to slip into a sheepish smile, complimented by the flush of red that was so subtle Leandro wouldn’t have seen it if he weren’t looking for the embarrassment so keenly. 

"It was very,” his lips quirked up in amusement, "but thank you. for real." 

"Please... don't ice me out next time Leandro,” Akira reached up and tugged at Leandro’s hair gently, playfully accenting his words with his actions. He lowered his hand and cupped his cheek. "Talk to me. I can be an insensitive asshole sometimes, but I will always be here for you. You can tell me these things, and I will never, ever judge you for it."

Leandro covered his hand, leaning into his touch. "I'm sorry. I just, forget sometimes that it's okay to let people in. And I get so fucking scared..." He trailed off, looking off at the city that was an important backdrop for their lives. Melancholy touched his features. 

"Me too. Sometimes I wonder if you'll leave me one day when you realize you're better than that,” Akira said, resting a hand on the railing. He let his hand fall, but grabbed Leandro’s in the process. He shifted, facing more towards the city lights rather than Leandro to his side.

Leandro pulled at his hand, making Akira look at him. "But I wouldn't!" he protested.

"We all have our fears," Akira said quietly. "That's how the world works." He turned back, leaning over the railing. A gust of wind blew through his hair, and while he could have shivered from the sudden cold, with Leandro’s fingers interlaced with his, all he could feel was warmth. 

He moved closer to Akira, bumping their shoulders together as they settled into their initial positions. They both gazed over at the city. Their home.

“We're good right?" Leandro asked hesitantly.

Akira nodded. “Of course.” 

Whether he heard Leandro whisper ‘good’ right after, or it was just his imagination, was something he could never decide. It was something that never really mattered.

He felt Leandro shift, and blinked in surprise when a white stick crossed his vision.

"Candy cigarette?" he asked. “There’s no way you hate it  _ that _ much.”

“Maybe I was exaggerating.” Akira laughed a little. "Alright, thank you." 

He opened his mouth and Leandro let it rest between his lips. Glancing over at Leandro, he couldn’t help but smile fondly when he caught the other looking at him too. Leandro waved at him jokingly, and his smile only grew wider. They didn’t need to speak, or fill in the silence. Between the two of them, the quiet was perfectly fine. 

In the end, they found their way back to each other.

 

 

They would be alright.

 

**Author's Note:**

> keikaku- plan
> 
> It took me w a y too long to write this up (and this is the longest thing I've written in a while too.) Wow did I actually spend like 3 pages writing about people standing around and thinking? Yes. Yes I did. Also, fun fact, candy cigarettes aren't actually being made anymore, which makes me sort of sad (that was a total halloween thing.)
> 
> But yeah ! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading~!


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